Tobacco denicotining process and apparatus



J. SARTIG Aug. 23, 1927.

TOBACCO DENICOTINING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed April 30, 1926 Z Dr 5 m w EMMM g m wnwm H Patented Aug. 23, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,640,298 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHANNES SARTIG, OF BERLIN-ZEHLENDORF, GERMANY.

TOBACCO DENICOTINING PROCESS AND APPARATUS.

Application filed April 30, 1926, Serial No. 105,862, and in Germany March 3, 1926.

This invention is concerned with a process of and apparatus for dcnicotining tobacco, tobacco waste and tobacco products. According to my invention the nicotine can be easily and quickly eliminated or extractedb any lixiviation of it does not take place, its

flavour and its contents of extract substances,

. that is its quality, remain fully preserved.

Since besides only small quantities of am- -monia,-a substance which exists in the tobacco in varying proportions anyway, are i used 1n addition to water for the denicotinization of the tobacco treated, any contaminationof the sameby adventitious or alien chemicals is avoided.

-In the actual practice of my invention the materialqto be denicotined is, at the exclusion of air, so steamed or treated with an aqueous atmosphere or evaporation of water obtained by heating the liquid within a closed receptacle to a temperature below 100 C. and under such conditions, that a deposition of condensed water cannot occur on or ofthe tobacco or any condensation of water on or in it is prevented. Preferably I pass through the heated tobacco aqueous vapors or a' water evaporation containing a slight amount of ammonia and having the same temperature as the tobacco. The evaporation is after its passage through the tobacco c011- densed, returned to the original liquid again evaporated and repassed through the tobacco andthis cycle is maintained, until the desired denicotinization has been obtained. All of the nicotine eliminated from the tobacco being contained in the final condensate can thus be recovered.

Thenew effect of my improved process consists in that the slight ammonia contents of the water evaporation frees the nicotine bound to Vegetable acids upon passing through the tobacco under the conditions stated that the nicotine thus freed and protected against oxidation is taken up by and dissolved in the extracting atmosphere, subsequently condensed in 'the apparatus and that the continuously produced evaporation orvolatilization of the ammonia containing liquid is continuously or repeatedly passed through the tobacco and subsequently condenscd and 'reevaporated. As the nicotine volatilizesmore readily from the tobacco than from the condensate, the tobacco treated is denicotined and all of the nicotine expelled or extracted will finally be dissolved in the final condensate.

If during the treatment of a given charge of tobacco fresh ammoniacontaining water is used once or several times a more quick and complete denicotinization of the tobacco can be obtained, this denicotinization proced ing besides the more quickly, the more the temperature of the treatment approaches 100 o. t.

In the drawing Figs. 1' and 2 illustrate cross-sections of two preferred embodiments of a denicotining apparatus in which my improved denicotining process may be'carried out. r

The tobacco 1 is piled loosely within a suitable container 2, for examplein a wire basket or container, so that the surrounding atmosphere may easilypass through it, the container being so placed upon the perforated bottom 3, of a receptacle 4, that the tobacco is out-of contact with the bottom wall 5 and theside walls 6 of the receptacle 4 which may be of any suitablematerial, for example iron. The top wall or cover 7 is then so applied to the receptacle 4 as to avoid access of air thereto, and the temperature of an outer heating bath 9 surrounding the receptacle 4 is raised by any suitable heating means, such as a controllable gas flame 8. The temperature of receptacle. 4 will now raise to any desired temperature below 100 C. and this temperature is maintained until the tobacco within the receptacle has reached throughout the temperature below 100 0. selected. During this heatingoperation a vent cock 16 arranged at the top side of receptacle 4 is opened in order that the heated air may escape. Thereupon water 10 containing a slight quantity, for example 0,25%, of ammonia and which preferably has before been heated to the desired v emperature is, while cock 16 is still being open, admitted by a cook 11 into the space below the perforated ton ' tobacco, the evaporation eventually impinging against thctop wall or cover 7 of receptacle 4. This wall 7 constitutes the bottom wall of a top receptacle 12 through which a cooling medium such as water, air or the like is flowing and which has inlet and outlet tubes 13 and 14 for this medium, as shown. The wall 7 is thus always kept at the desired cooling temperature and acts as a cooling or condensing surface for the warm water evaporation within the receptacle 4.

In the embodiment Fig. 1 the top or cover wall 7 is so shaped liquid condensed on it in the receptacle 4 cannot drip ofif into the receptacle, but flows along the wall 7 down onto the side wall of receptacle 4 and is thus returned to the bottom wall 5 thereof and into the original liquid for further evaporation. Instead of the inclined wall 7 shown in Fig. 1, I can also use the conical wall 7 illustrated in Fig, 2 as a cooling surface.

By the outer heating of wall 5 and of the side walls 6 of receptacle 4 an ammonia containing water evaporation or aqueous vapor is continuously rising from the liquid 10 011 the bottom wall 5 of receptacle 4 and passing throughthe tobacco having the same term I perature, so that any condensation within the tobacco is prevented. The evaporation 1S continuously taking up nicotine from the tobacco and is thereupon condensed while containing such nicotine within the receptacle 4 on the'cooled top wall 7 and the condensat'e is flowing past the said top wall 7 to the side wall 6 of receptacle 4 and finally returned to the liquid on the bottom wall 5. At the end of the treatment this nicotine con taining liquid may be discharged through cock 15. If desired the receptacle 4 can be constructed without the particular cooling compartment 12, so that the wall 7 will be the topmost wall of the apparatus and acts asa cooling wall by its direct heat exchanging contact with the outer air.

11 carrying out the improved denicotining process at a heating bath temperature of 75 C. tobacco treated for six hours and having a nicotine contents of 1,38% yielded a dry tobacco having only a few percents of moisture and a nicotine contents of 0,20%. After a further treating period of three hours the same tobacco still contained 0,08% nicotine and inclined, that the only, while the extracted nicotine was contained in the water-clear liquid 10: on the bottom wall 5 of receptacle 4. 1

Finished tobacco products, even cigars with a closed tip at their one end or cigarettes with their delicate paper wrapper can be denicotined in the way indicated without being damaged or without detriment to their outer appearance.

What I claim is 1. The denicotining process which consists in preheating the material to be denicotined within a closed receptacle to a temperature below 100 0., producing within the same receptacle an evaporation of ammonia containing water at the exclusion of air and-by substantially the same rise of temperature, passing the said evaporation through the material to be denicotined while the said temperature is being maintained, condensing the water evaporation within the said receptacle after its passage through the material to be dcnicotined and returning the condensate thus obtained at the exclusionof its contact with the material to be denicotined to the original liquid, and continuing such procedure until the desired denicotinization has been obtained.

2. A denicotinmg apparatuscomprising a closed receptacle adapted to receive in its bottom end a denicotining liquid, a support arranged above the bottom wall and adapted to receive the material to be denicotined so as to avoid its contact with the denicot-ining liquid, means permitting to heat the said liquid and the material to be denicotined to a temperature below C. while permitting the top of the receptacle to remain cool and adapted to act as a condensing means, and means for returning the condensate from the top side of the said receptacle to [the denicotining (liquid at the 'exclusion'of its contact with the material to be denicotined. 8. denicotining apparatus comprising a closed receptacle adapted to receivein' its bottom end a denicotining liquid, a support arranged above the bottom wall and adapted to receive the material to be denicoti-ned so] as to avoid its contact with the denicotining liquid, means permitting to heat. the said liquid and the material to' be denicotined to a temperature below 100 C. an inclined top wall on the said receptacle adapted to act as a vapor condensing and condensate deflecting surface and constituting means for returning such condensate to the denicotining liquidat the exclusion of any contact of the condensate with the material to be denicotined, and means for cooling the said top wall.

In testimony whereof I affix my-signature.

JO-HANNES san'rie. 

